Penumbra series, underrated and overlooked ?

[wcer]

Personally I had only sort of heard of the game vaguely, with no real details as to what it was. Eventually I got tired of playing through Call of Cthulhu DCOTE a bajillion times (a damn shame the other two are canned due to liquidation of Headfirst studios) and in trying to find something similar rediscovered Penumbra.

At the end of the day this sub genre will never be as popular as others, it's a niche interest and taste. Playing them tends to require a mindset not present in most modern gamers (ADHD seems to drive the design of most titles).

To some extent I might argue that's a good thing for what few horror games are coming out. Innovation is more likely to happen when companies are sort of struggling for purchasers, post-mass success there is significant pressure to "stick to the formula" and rehash extensively. The downside is there's always the risk of companies who release good games going bankrupt, leaving a gap until the next risk taker or indie developer tries to fill the gap.